Hospital Cashless and payroll deduction seems a given these days. Employees and vendors love the convenience of not having to carry cash; nursing and doctors rarely have cash and carrying additional cards is, well, just inconvenient.
So now you either have managed to make it easy for your patrons to buy your products, but are they buying them?
While offing a full-line of unhealthy choices is not likely to win any awards, having a menu that is ONLY healthy choices will quickly result in your patrons driving off-site and indulging in those foods elsewhere. As we have clearly seen, human behavior is a funny thing. We can suggest healthy options, but free-choice is a right and we, as service providers, should consider these options when designing our menus.
You too, have choice; choice in HOW you prepare these items. If we know that our patrons LOVE fried catfish on Fridays, well, NOT having fried catfish on Fridays is a recipe for lower turn-out, reduced sales, higher labor percentage due to lower participation and well, you get the idea. You CAN choose HOW you prepare the fried catfish and the condiments and sides with which you pair it to lessen the impact of a less-healthy choice.
Another option is to implement a reward system that rewards your patrons for healthy choices. When they choose the fried catfish, they earn1 point, for example, but ordering the avocado chicken sandwich with side salad earns 10 points. Points can then be redeemed for those unhealthy choices – well, hopefully not AND we can restrict what items those points could be redeemed against, further encouraging healthy choices. We, after all, are the professionals and should take the lead to educate our patrons.
Also keep in mind that withour fee-free cashless solution, even selling a low-margin, healthy choice,granola bar remains profitable.
Written by Wolf Scott
Founder, Newcare International